Nigeria government declare lassa fever treatment free

The Nigerian government has released the statement below on the treatment of Lassa fever.

In the statement unleashed by the Nigeria government, Lassa fever disease has caused over 100 deaths in previous three months across several states. In the same statement, an official also stated treatment of the disease is free.

In a Newspaper report published by the Guardian of Sunday, March 11, 2018, federal government expose that the high cost of treating Lassa fever was responsible for the high mortality rate recorded so far in the country.

Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu issued and signed a statement that state the Federal Government of Nigeria has certified that Ribavirin, the utmost drug used for treating Lassa fever has been bestowed free-of-charge to patients, for every single case of Lassa fever reported in Nigeria

Furthermore, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has established that every state in Nigeria has an emergency stock of Ribavirin available to manage cases even though there has not been a single day of stock-out of Ribavirin in any of the treatment centres in Nigeria.

Each treatment centres have been arranged with other necessary commodities required for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lassa fever cases. NCDC also had quick response teams supporting the state governments of Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi for six weeks giving assistance to all aspects of the response.

With the highest burden of Lassa fever, the state governments of the Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi States have also contributed significantly to the management of cases, supporting treatment centres with dialysis machines and other equipment necessary for the treatment of Lassa fever patients and making sure every single patient receives the best treatment.

There have been punctual updates from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on its website (http://www.ncdc.gov.ng/diseases/sitreps), regarding its efforts to control the Lassa fever outbreak. Meanwhile, the newspaper house did not contact NCDC to confirm this statement before going to press.

Isaac Adewole, the minister of health appreciates and welcomed the Non-Governmental Organizations such as the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), as they have come to support existing efforts by the Federal Government and State Governments who continue to lead the response to the Lassa fever outbreak”.

He stated that the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, acknowledged and welcomed the support of Non-Governmental Organisations such as the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), “as they have come to support existing efforts by the Federal Government and State Governments who continue to lead the response to the Lassa fever outbreak”.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) assures Nigerians that everything possible is being done, not only to respond to this outbreak but to also build our capacity to prevent, detect and respond to future cases of Lassa fever in Nigeria. For further updates on the current Lassa fever situation in Nigeria, contact the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on www.ncdc.gov.ng. Nigerians are urged to continue supporting the diligent work being done by Nigerian healthcare workers across the country in this response.